Metascore®Mixed or average reviewsbased on a weighted average of allcritic review scores.

50

out of 100

ReelViewsJames Berardinelli

The scares (if you want to call them that) are still there - one "boo!" moment after another, strung together like a breadcrumb trail through a labyrinth. So if that's all you want from a Halloween release like Paranormal Activity 3, you are the perfect audience member.

Although not exactly breaking any new ground with its by now all too familiar found-footage format, Paranormal Activity 3 hews to the formula in expertly crafted fashion, mustering up the requisite scares and then some.

Parents need to know that this movie is -- a prequel to both Paranormal Activity and Paranormal Activity 2 -- attempts to explain the events that led up to the terrors in those two movies. Like the others, it's told in fake documentary style, mostly via surveillance camera footage. The scary stuff is left largely to the imagination (and there's a near-constant sense of dread as a result), though this movie has a little more on-screen violence than the previous films did: An invisible force terrorizes two young girls, lifting one up by the hair and dragging her across the floor. Language is strong but not frequent and includes many uses of "f--k" and "s--t." A loving couple attempts to tape themselves having sex, though they only get as far as some foreplay, with clothes on. They also smoke pot.

Families can talk about the movie's violence, both implied and shown. Which kind is more powerful? Why?

How scary was the movie? What scared you most, and why?

What would be the effect of constantly filming your life?

The good stuff

Messages: In these movies, bad things can suddenly start happening to good people, simply because a past relative did something bad.

Role models: Of the men in this series, Dennis is by far the most admirable. He really loves Julie and takes care of her daughters from a previous marriage as if they were his own. He's responsible and works hard to solve problems.

What to watch for

Violence: There's perhaps slightly more violence in this movie than in the previous two; in a couple of scenes, an invisible force attacks a young girl, lifting her up by the hair or dragging her across the floor. An unseen force also snaps a character's spine. There's a teeny bit of blood (a scratch). Otherwise, the violence is mostly suggested, and the movie has an almost constant feeling of dread.

Sex: An adult couple decides to videotape themselves having sex. They both wear T-shirts and underwear. They kiss and begin some foreplay, but they're interrupted. Also additional kissing and lots of "I love yous."

Language: "F--k" is heard perhaps a dozen times, with "s--t" coming in a close second. "Oh my God" and "goddamn" are also used.

Consumerism: A box of Rice Krispies is visible in one shot.

Drinking, drugs and smoking: The grown-up couple smokes some pot and gets high; the mother mentions that it's illegal and that she doesn't want her daughters to know.

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